Reading is My Superpower!

Have you ever heard of Dolly Parton? Dolly Parton is a famous country singer, writer, movie star, and most importantly, a READER! This week, let’s look at how Dolly Parton transformed her own life through reading.

Dolly Parton’s Early Life

Photo taken from Imagination Library

Dolly Parton was born in Locust Ridge, Tennessee on January 19, 1946. She grew up in a very poor family in the middle of the Smokey Mountains. In her family there were 12 kids. Dolly’s dad worked on farms in the area, and her mother spent a lot of time singing and playing guitar. Her parents were hard workers who provided their kids with what they could, including the great love for music. Church was important to the family, and Dolly learned a lot about music by singing at her local church. When she was a little girl, she started writing her own songs. A relative gave Dolly her first guitar, and she officially became a songwriter. Dolly started performing at the age of ten. Everyone loved the spirited young girl with country voice, so she became a local favorite on tv and radio shows around Knoxville. When she was only 13, she debuted at the Grand Ole Opry. When she graduated high school, Dolly moved to Nashville to start her musical career. Dolly has credited her loving mother for always supplying love to her twelve children, as well as the desire to sing, read and write. Dolly has also told the story about her dad being so proud of his daughter that every week he would go to the statue of Dolly in her hometown and scrub all the pigeon poop off to keep it nice and clean.

Dolly the Musician

Photo from The New Yorker

The first song Dolly Parton ever wrote was “Little Tiny Tassletop” about the handmade doll Dolly’s mom made for her. Dolly wrote many songs about her years growing up poor in the middle of Tennessee. One of her most famous songs, “Coat of Many Colors” is about her mother sewing her a patchwork coat because they didn’t have money for a store bought coat. As Dolly became more well known, her voice caught the ears of many famous singers and songwriters in Nashville. The famous country singer Porter Wagoner became her singing partner in 1967. They both became huge successes as they recorded music together. In 1971, Dolly Parton had her first number one hit with a song called, “Joshua.” Her other songs quickly hit number one soon after. Songs like, “Jolene,” and “I Will Always Love You” were quick favorites. In 1975 and 1976, she won the CMA award for female vocalist of the year. She won her first Grammy for her song “Here You Come Again” in 1977. For the many years to follow, Dolly Parton was a musical phenomenon. She continues to write music and record albums, as well as win many awards. In 2001, she was inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame.

Dolly the Movie Star

Dolly Parton is also a movie star! She starred in her first movie called “9 to 5” as well as other notable movies like “Steel Magnolias” and “Unlikely Angel.”

Dolly the Business Woman

Besides being a well acclaimed singer, songwriter, and actress, Dolly is also a business woman! In 1986, Dolly Parton opened up her own theme park in Pigeon Forge, Tennessee called Dollywood. This theme park is still a popular and fun destination for families.

Dolly the Reader

Photo from Official Dolly Parton

Much of Dolly Parton’s endless success can be attributed to her reading abilities. Reading was an important part of Dolly’s childhood. Her father was illiterate. She said that her father was very embarrassed that he couldn’t read or write, which inspired Dolly to do well in school, although school wasn’t her favorite thing. Dolly has said that books were so important to her because they opened up a whole new world of possibilities. All she and her family saw everyday were people in overalls, but books showed her that there was so much more out there. Books helped Dolly dream big dreams. She particularly loved fairy tales. Due to Dolly’s love of reading, and because she understood how important reading and writing are to success, Dolly created the Imagination Library. This national library promotes literacy to young children. Children who are a part of the program get a free book that is right at their reading level. Dolly Parton makes sure that the books included in her program are books that inspire children to dream big and books that make them feel special. She understands that reading builds self esteem, teaches children important lessons, and helps them be better prepared for life. To check out Dolly’s Imagination Library, go to www.imaginationlibrary.com

As you can see, reading was an important part to Dolly Parton’s life and now she is helping other children become readers. Dolly is a wonderful example of how reading is a real super power and how we can use reading to go and change the world!

Photo from DollyParton.com

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Celebrate how YOU can use reading as a superpower!

After reading about Dolly Parton, here are some suggestions for being a superpower reader:

1. Write a letter to Dolly Parton! Ask her some questions, thank her for her inspiration, and tell her about yourself! Use the attached page below.

2. Check out her children’s read alouds, “Goodnight with Dolly” by clicking here, or searching for it in YouTube.

3. Watch the movie, Coat of Many Colors, based on Dolly Parton’s life on Amazon or YouTube.

Dear Ms. Parton,

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Sincerely,

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